The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced that it will begin piloting the distribution of P20-per-kilo rice to beneficiaries of its “Walang Gutom Program” (WGP) this June, following the approval of its request to the Department of Agriculture (DA) for a supply of low-cost rice.

DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said the agency is finalizing coordination with the DA and accredited retailers, including Kadiwa outlets, to test the food redemption system with the subsidized rice.

Under the WGP, eligible households receive P3,000 worth of food credits monthly through electronic benefit transfer or EBT cards.

“May redemption period o yung parang palengke day ng ating mga Walang Gutom participants. Ito ay isinasagawa pagkatapos ng nutrition education sessions, which is one of the conditions of the program. So kapag natop-up na yung P3,000 monthly food credit doon sa kanilang electronic benefit transfer card, magkakaroon ng redemption day,” Dumlao explained.

(There is a redemption period, like a market day for our Walang Gutom participants. It is held after the nutrition education sessions, which are a required part of the program. Once the P3,000 monthly food credit has been topped up on their electronic benefit transfer card, a redemption day is scheduled).

The program schedules designated redemption days, during which beneficiaries can claim food items, including rice and fresh produce, from accredited sellers.

Nutrition education sessions are also conducted as part of the program conditions.

Dumlao said the pilot will assess the flow of rice from DA suppliers to retailers and, ultimately, to beneficiaries.

Full implementation is expected from June to December this year.

She added that the inclusion of rice is part of the agency’s efforts to enhance the program’s impact on reducing hunger and promoting proper nutrition, citing a recent Social Weather Stations survey that recorded a 4.1 percent decline in hunger incidence among WGP participants.

The WGP is the government’s flagship anti-hunger initiative, in line with President Marcos Jr.’s directive to eliminate hunger by 2027.

The program currently serves 300,000 households and aims to expand to 750,000 families over the next two years.